Beyond the Borders
by Fynhavir Leveque
Summary: [Ch.2] The Weyrs of Pern have diminished in number to two...and the population of dragons continues to fall. A woman named Kel may be the person to take charge but sometimes a distinct lack of 'gold' can impede the process of saving the world [AU]
1. Part 1: Prologue

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Pern or the Dragonriders. It is all Anne McCaffrey's.**

A/N: I'm a roleplay girl. The characters Kelynan and D'ni belong to the site http://yandreiweyr. Kel is mine; D'ni belongs to my beloved Avi. I also owe the history and concept of Yandrei Weyr to Avi, without whom I would never have had the inspiration to write this. The plot, however, is mine. Yes, it is AU Pern so please don't bother me on that score. I know it's non-Canon, and while I adore Anne's books as they are, I was having fun with tweaking Pern's future in a model laid out first –as far as I'm aware- by Avi. I appreciate any comments, though please don't remark how unlikely some of the event s which will occur are. I'm aware of that, but this was really only written for fun. I think that Kel's way of 'Aiding' the Weyrleaders is unique to me, but I won't claim it as such in case I'm not the first. As mentioned, this will not be typical Pern. R and R is appreciated. I hope you enjoy this.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Prologue 

Looking pretty was not something that Kelynan did well. Standing still for long periods of time bored her to infinity. Being poked at with pins and needles was not her favourite pastime…and yet here she was. The woman pinning up the hemline of the gown tilted her head back to give the young woman a pitying look.

"Almost done, Kel," she assured the lean Candidate dryly. She received only a scowl in response.

"How long does it take?" the Candidate in question grumbled. "Painting my face takes only about 10 minutes and I can transform _myself_ into a young lady. Why do I need a new dress?"

"The Weyrwoman says…"

"I'm perfectly well aware of what she says, and I'm sure I've said it before. I don't _care_. What good will a dress do me if I'm to Impress a dragon? I do my work for her just as well in trousers and a tunic."

"You'll need it for the feast, so don't dare think about sneaking off for your next fitting session…" the older woman chided sensibly. "Don't fuss." Kel frowned at her.

"Is Impressing really worth having to wear a dress?" she inquired forlornly.

"I'm only a Lower Caverns woman," the other began, before pausing momentarily. "Kel. The Weyrwoman says you need a dress. I doubt that she only means for you to look pretty in it."

There was silence, and the Candidate stopped wriggling as she considered the implications of the statement.

"You're not supposed to know about that, Lelaina!" she muttered. Lelaina rolled her eyes, and bent her head to focus on the hem of the gown.

"That's all I'm saying, Kel. The Weyrwoman _commissioned_ a dress for _you_ of all people. Firstly, the Weyrwoman shouldn't care about the attire of mere Candidates. Secondly, she rarely wears dresses much less even pays attention to the Candidates so why are you an exception? And thirdly, I've heard some interesting rumors about why you're the only female Candidate with such a stock of makeup…and never seen wearing it."

Kel scowled down at Lelaina and tossed her thick black hair.

"It's not worth it," she complained under her breath. "I don't know why I even bother…"

"Because you like snooping," the Lower Caverns woman pointed out drolly. "And the fact that you have an excuse to poke around Holders' dirty secrets, without the risk of getting in trouble, is a plus since you'd do it anyway. The only consequence is that you occasionally have to wear a dress, and the Weyrleaders make you report back in case the Holders are muttering behind their backs."

"Too sharp by far. Anyway…" Kel started to hop down from the stool, but Lelaina put up a hand to stop her.

"Stay put! I didn't say you could go yet," she admonished through a mouthful of pins. A murderous glower contorted the young woman's angular features—but she stayed put.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

As Kel entered the Candidate Barracks, she was assailed by an outcry of feminine voices.

"Where were you during lessons today?" "I haven't seen you all afternoon!" "Why didn't you come to class?" "Lucky—It was the most boring lecture _ever!_" "How on Pern did you manage to avoid lessons again?"

"It's not my fault!" she protested, as she pushed past a barrier of young women to get to her cot. "The Weyrwoman wanted to see me."

"Huh," scoffed one young woman, rolling over lazily on her cot and tossing a sheaf of parchment at Kel as she passed her. "We all know that you do something all hushed-up for the Weyrleaders, Kel. Why keep it secret from _us_? It can't be too important. I mean, you're only a candidate!"

"I can't tell you, because it's secret, Maeriya," she retorted crossly. "And this wasn't about…well…that! I had to get a dress made." One of the girls, not the plump and pale Maeriya but a mousy brown haired youth named Khaliall, tentatively spoke up.

"Kel, I do not believe that any one of us have ever seen you wearing a dress. And you've been in the Weyr even longer than I."

Kel shrugged, and set the parchment thrown at her by Maeriya down on a chest at the end of her bed.

"For the Feast."

She had known that these magic words were all she would need to say, and the topic would swing promptly towards the Hatching, since it always did.

"Ooh! I heard that the eggs are supposed to hatch soon!" squealed Maeriya, grinning brightly about at the other girls.

"There are always rumors, Maeriya. I doubt this one is any more accurate than the one last week," pointed out Khaliall with a gloomy sigh. Another young woman, the smallest of the group of candidates even though she was seventeen Turns, glared at Khaliall's back.

"And you always say _that_, Khaliall! _I_ heard that the Weyrleaders from Fort are planning on coming and watching the Hatching," she declared, sharp eyes flickering across her peers. Maeriya leaned towards her.

"Where did you hear that, Iaigna?" she inquired lazily, quirking a brow at the other Candidate, who scowled at her. Few managed to remain unfazed after being scowled at by Iaigna, and Maeriya was no exception. She leaned away.

"The Weyrlingmaster told me," she snapped back. A flurry of speculation rose after this remark.

"The Weyrleaders from _Fort Weyr_ are coming to _Yandrei Weyr?_" demanded one girl incredulously. As the youngest of the bunch (though still managing to surpass Iaigna in height) she was generally regarded kindly by the other girls.

"There are only the two Weyrs at the moment, Niniane," pointed out Khaliall softly. "Since the dragons have been dying out since the last Pass of the red star, it does make sense that the Weyrleaders should attend each hatching…Especially considering how few hatchings there are these days. And considering that this clutch has the first Golden egg in twenty Turns…"

"They don't even know if it _is_ a Queen egg," interrupted Iaigna, frowning. Kel, still silent, arched her brows at all of the girls.

"But it's true that there haven't been any Queens hatched for a long time. And it's true that they've had to combine all of the Weyrs into these two…" Kel informed her casually. "And it's true that if another Queen doesn't hatch from this clutch, they think that we're doomed. Considering that there are only the two Queens in Fort, and one here, and one of those two is too old to reproduce, and the other is middle aged…"

"Oh, stop being so pessimistic! Dragons aren't dying out. Pern has been down to only 1 Queen before, and managed to survive!" objected Maeriya with a shiver. Niniane blinked at the other girls, dazed.

"So…dragons are dying out?"

For the first time, Khaliall glowered, and at Kel.

"Of course not. This clutch is a sign of that, and it will hatch and be healthy. The Fort Weyrleaders are coming to watch it, and our Queen is the youngest of all three. Yandrei Weyr will prosper for a long time yet."

A general murmur of agreement rippled through the girls who had been listening, even if they hadn't voiced any opinions. Kel exchanged a look with Iaigna, and shrugged her bony shoulders. Khaliall was a soft hearted young woman…but as far as the older Candidate was concerned, that trait could make her far too oblivious to the actual facts.

Brushing back a fallen tendril of short ebony hair, Kel draped herself across her cot and stared blankly up at the ceiling of the barracks.

"Now all we can do is wait," she murmured absently, and received a look from Maeriya.

"Wait for what?" demanded the stocky girl, narrowing her eyes. Kel squinted at her, and grimaced.

"I'm not sure. I guess we'll see."

"You're being enigmatic again," grumbled the Candidate, which caused Kel to grin crookedly.

"Yup. I try."

"Fine thing for _us_ that you're not Weyrwoman!" chirruped Niniane, who had been listening from a cot across the row. Maeriya rolled her eyes at the fourteen Turn old.

"Considering that we don't even know that the egg is a Queen, it's probable that she never will be!" snapped Iaigna. This acerbic reminder caused a depressed hush to fall over the female Candidates, who glanced across their room, all wondering whether they would truly be Pern's last Candidates.

Kel was alone in pondering peacefully what they would have for dinner that evening.


	2. Part 1: The Day

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Pern or the Dragonriders. It is all Anne McCaffrey's. I make no money from any of it.**

**A/N:** I'm a roleplay girl. The characters Kelynan and D'ni belong to the site http/yandreiweyr. Kel is mine; D'ni who belongs to Avi. I also owe the history and concept of Yandrei Weyr to Avi, without whom I would never have had the inspiration to write this. The plot, however, is mine. Yes, it is AU Pern so please don't bother me on that score. I know it's non-Canon, and while I adore Anne's books as they are, I was having fun with tweaking Pern's future in a model laid out first –as far as I'm aware- by Avi. I appreciate any comments, though please don't remark how unlikely some of the event s which will occur are. I'm aware of that, but this was really only written for fun. I think that Kel's way of 'Aiding' the Weyrleaders is unique to me, but I won't claim it as such in case I'm not the first. As mentioned, this will not be typical Pern. R and R is appreciated. I hope you enjoy this.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

Part 1: The Day

Kel slipped into the Candidate Barracks, grimacing as she swept aside a fold of her gown, and stepping lightly through the moonlight streaming through the slits of windows. She didn't dare hurry, for fear of waking the other young women who slumbered around her. It was late at night, verging on morning, and she knew that with Lessons the next day, she would certainly regret having accepted the Weyrwoman's task. Suddenly, the young woman froze in her steps, eyes flickering about hastily.

"Kel?" hissed a voice from one of the cots. "What are you doing?"

"_Maeriya_?" Anyone but the candidate in question would have noticed the venom in Kel's tones. Two faintly gleaming orbs in the darkness indicated the other youth's eyes. Carefully navigating her way through the cots, she continued as if Maeriya hadn't spoken.

"Kel! What are you _doing_? You know curfew was hours ago!" continued the young woman, bedsprings creaking as she shifted. A rustle of sheets indicated that she had pushed her bedfurs aside.

"Shut up, Maeriya. You can't gossip about this one," she informed her wearily, as she found her own cot and collapsed on it, bending down to unlace the dainty slippers which had shod her feet all evening. The Candidate winced as she ran a hand across her new blisters.

"But what were you _doing_? Where _were_ you?" persisted Maeriya, her intense whisper suddenly very close to Kel's ear.

"I was at a Gather," she muttered back, reaching up to untwine a ribbon from her short hair and scrub off the layers of makeup painted across her golden-bronze skin. "Go to sleep. Or stop talking. You'll wake everyone else up." Maeriya still didn't seem to get it.

"Well, how _come_? It's nearly the middle of the night!"

"I might inquire as to why you're still up, Maeriya. Leave me alone." A haughty silence followed as the Candidate stalked back to her own cot, in which a relieved Kel started to struggle out of her overgown. She had never realized how difficult the process of gowning and changing was when one had no one to aid with ties and buttons.

"You still shouldn't be up," grumbled Maeriya, her bed creaking again as she settled back into it.

"Be _quiet_," Kel whispered back shortly. "I was on business!"

"A Gather's not busi—" muttered the other Candidate, sounding sulkier than a girl of her years ought to have. The young woman frowned over at her as she writhed about, trying to untie a ribbon holding her undergown's bodice together.

"Look. Maeriya, if you're really that upset, go tell the Weyrwoman about it," she mumbled at her distractedly, before pausing in the middle of an awkward contortion, head tilted to one side.

"I'm not upset!" Maeriya exclaimed indignantly, before realizing that the soft rustle of cloth indicating Kel's movements had stopped. "What is it?" she inquired in an excited undertone. The sixteen Turn old held up a hand which could not have been seen in the darkness to forestall her questions. An odd thrumming seemed to be vibrating through the floor, and as she sat on the edge of her bed, she could swear that she heard a deep humming…

"Hatching!" she breathed, springing to her feet and groping about under her bed for her boots. "Maeriya, it's the _Hatching_!" A gasp from the other bed informed her that Maeriya had definitely heard.

"Hatching! Oh, my goodness! It's the Hatching, already?" she squealed, springing up from her cot abruptly and breaking the peaceful quiet of the barracks as she shuffled about. "Hatching! Oh, the _hatching_! Where's my robe? Where're my sandals? Oh, Kel, I've lost everything!" The older Candidate winced at her wail, and grimaced as a Glowbasket was opened, assaulting her darkness accustomed eyes to blinding light.

"What's going on?" demanded Iaigna's familiar acerbic tones in no attempt to be quiet. "It's the middle of the night!" Her face was illuminated by the glow of her light, angular and scowling with dark eyes ablaze. "Some of us were trying to _sleep_!" Kel paid no attention to her, having located one boot she stuffed a bare foot into it, and groped about in an attempt at locating the other.

"Hatching," she grunted, as she dragged the other boot from under her cot. Suddenly Iaigna was still, though she could still hear Maeriya mumbling to herself. Another Glowbasket was opened, and she smothered a cry.

"What's—Oh! G'morning, Kel," yawned the sleepy voice of Khaliall. "Where were you at supper?" The Candidate was rubbing the back of her hand across her eyes sleepily, looking rather dazed. Kel spared her a glance.

"That's not important," Maeriya interrupted breathlessly. "It's the _hatching_! That's what that noise is! It's not my fault!" Khaliall still looked bewildered as she wearily pushed back her covers.

"I don't see…" she started slowly, before her indistinctly colored eyes widened. "Wait. Hatching?"

The other girls across the barracks were starting to wake up, some with annoyed cries at having their rest disturbed, and others immediately realizing what was going on. The latter would rise and briskly find their robes before hastening out of the Barracks, while the others would blink and stare about for a time, before at last realizing what the persistent humming was. Niniane was up and gone as soon as her eyes flew open. Maeriya was fiddling with her robe for an unexplained reason, and Iaigna was swearing under her breath as she fumbled to do the clasp up on her white robe of Candidacy.

Kel had failed to locate her robe on the hook where it ought to have been, and so now was cursing in tones similar to Iaigna's and with increasing urgency as she tossed her clothing out of the Clothes Press at the end of her bed. At last, her seeking hand found the soft white cloth, and yanked it out, unceremoniously tugging it over her head without pausing to see which way it was supposed to go on. The humming had risen in volume, and panic had taken hold of her limbs. Had Kel had wings, she might have been said to fly through the congested corridors, where weary Weyrfolk were stumbling about in a mass of humanity, towards the Hatching Sands. All the same, a combination of elbows applied to backs and sheer strength managed to get her there with the first waves of Candidates.

Her first steps onto the Hatching Grounds were slow, and with uncharacteristic hesitance. Khaliall brushed past her, robe on backwards and hair tumbling in lazy locks around her features, as she offered a small smile for Kel. The Candidate regained her senses. Shaking her head in a daze more commonly seen on the other young woman's features, she lengthened her stride to join the other young women gathered around the eggs.

Time passed in a blur.

The first egg split in an explosion of egg shards, sending fragments raining across the sands. Just as Kel leaned forwards, instinctively attempting to near the hatchling struggling to free itself from the egg sack, someone collided with her from behind.

The Candidate let out a cry of surprise, staggering and flinging out an arm to catch herself before she fell. Fortunately for her, and her assailant, she managed to steady herself before falling, and keep the other from falling with her. Whirling around, words of sharp reproach on the edge of her tongue, she narrowed her eyes at the slightly stocky young man standing before her, awkwardly brushing a grain of sand off of his white candidate's robe and out of his dark brown hair.

"Sorry," he told her hastily, taking an involuntarily step backwards at the look on her features. Kel knew that she wasn't pretty, but she had never thought that she looked…well…_frightening_. She tried to smooth her glower away, tilting her head in an attempt at locating the first hatchling from the corner of her gaze.

"It's okay," she assured him distractedly, looking past his shoulder where a blue dragon had freed himself from the shards of his shell and was resolutely making his way towards the semi-circle of young men.

"Hey, shouldn't you be over with them?" She pointed towards the youth, and the other Candidate muffled a curse with a guilty look at her.

"Again, I'm sorry! " he exclaimed as he brushed past her to hurry over to them. A smattering of applause among the audience ranged in the tiers alerted Kel to the fact that the first hatchling had Impressed: 1 down, 22 still to go. She stared in bewildered silence after the young man for a moment, wondering how old he was. Something about him seemed so mature…yet so young.

She never did figure out whether he was the same age as her, or older, that day.

Just then, a piercing shriek distracted her, and with the same instinct which had prevented her from tumbling to the scorching sands, she twisted about rapidly to see Iaigna sinking to her knees. Bewildered, she gaped at the 18 Turn old, as she stared into the eyes of a green dragonet. Was she injured? She seemed perfectly fine. A moment's contemplation assured her that her sharp-tongued friend had actually Impressed.

These days, when clutches of the size of this one were rare, as much choice was presented to the Hatchlings as possible, and regardless of whether there was a Golden egg, females were presented along with the young men. The Greens seemed to like them, after all, and as long as the dragons Impressed…all had to be well.

There were dragon hatchlings littering the sands now, creeling and stumbling, awkward heads swinging as they sought their Bonded from amongst the many youth. Kel only realized that she was holding her breath when she felt a stabbing pain in her chest, and gulped air in hastily. The egg, which had been under such debate, was rocking now. Striations marked it's dark yellow surface, the sheen of gold shimmering softly as it's shell bulged and jerked with the hatchling's efforts to free itself. A collective gasp rippled through the cavern as the shell buckled, and then fell outwards…and the hatchling within stepped gracefully from the remains of it's prison. It seemed as if the entire cavern let out a breath at the same time, and the tense hope was replaced by sharp disappointment. Picking his way through the remaining eggs was a solid bronze, striding as elegantly as such an ungainly creature could, with egg goo clinging to the burnished shades of his hide. He was a handsome creature…but he was not Gold. Kel couldn't help being as disappointed as the rest of Pern. At her side, she felt someone reaching up to tug the sleeve of her robe and she was willingly distracted from him. Upon turning around, she saw Khaliall, shifting uncomfortably and pointing towards a pale leafy hued Green.

"Do you think she's looking for me?" she whispered hopefully, greeny-gray optics large. The other candidate tilted her head at it, and then glanced back at the wistful features of the 15-turn old girl.

"She might be," Kel responded thoughtfully. "She's looking at you, Khaliall." That was all the urging that she required. The usually awkward Khaliall was off, only the imprints of her feet in the sand indicating that she had ever been at Kel's side. Despite herself, she felt a stab of longing as she watched the newly bonded pair, and then turned to glance at another Green, this one so dark that she seemed practically black in some places. She was stumbling slightly, and she took a step towards her before she could help herself, the desire to aid the unsteady little creature practically overwhelming her common sense. Fortunately, her common sense triumphed, and her tensed form relaxed minutely, shoulders slumping with defeat.

Kel knew that she ought not to have been so confident at the beginning of this Hatching. Just because she aided the Weyrleaders in delicate matters didn't mean that she was a worthy Dragonrider. Yet, at the same time, that Green looked as if she were searching for someone…And that someone was not her. The young man who had run into her when entering the Hatching Sands turned around, a look of astonishment crossing his ageless face. Later, when she reflected on what happened next, she would be unable to remember clearly what had happened next. She had been staring at the green, repressing those horrible stabs of envy which the deserving new Weyrlings had done nothing to deserve, when something bumped into her from behind for the second time that night. Were it not for the adrenaline coursing though her veins, Kel surely would have been asleep on her feet.

As it was, her reflexes took a moment to kick in, and she stumbled, plunging an arm out into the scalding grains of sand to keep herself from making any more contact. Prepared to lash out at the candidate who had been so clumsy, having already been tumbled into earlier that night, she spun around…and the reproach on her tongue died rapidly as she beheld the dragonet shaking sand off of the rich brown of his hide.

_Kel…your Tiengasth apologizes for his clumsiness_ came an unexpected voice ringing through her mind, sheepish and slightly cross. She blinked rapidly several times, gaping stupidly.

_And I'm hungry._ This time the tones were not so repentant. The undertones of demand were clear. Kel blinked again, and snapped her jaw shut.

"T…Tiengasth?" she echoed dazedly, staring down at the brown, who was now sitting facing her, eyes whirling with hints of orange and red.

_I said that already. I'm still hungry._

There was no doubt that the voice belonged to this brown dragon. And Kel had no doubts now that her initial shock had worn off that she had just Impressed.

After all, what other dragon but Tiengasth could truly be for her?

_Hungry…_

"I'm going!" she protested dazedly, as she hurried to guide him to the feeding tables set up along the edge of the sands. Little did she realize then what she was getting into.


	3. Part 1: Feasting and Frivolity

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Pern or the Dragonriders. It is all Anne McCaffrey's. And a little bit Todd's. I make no money from any of it.**

A/N: I'm a roleplay girl. The characters Kelynan and D'ni belong to the site Yandrei Weyr. Kel is mine; D'ni who belongs to Avi. I also owe the history and concept of Yandrei Weyr to Avi, without whom I would never have had the inspiration to write this. The plot, however, is mine. Yes, it is AU Pern so please don't bother me on that score. I know it's non-Canon, and while I adore Anne's books as they are, I was having fun with tweaking Pern's future in a model laid out first –as far as I'm aware- by Avi. I appreciate any comments, though please don't remark how unlikely some of the event s which will occur are. I'm aware of that, but this was really only written for fun. I think that Kel's way of 'Aiding' the Weyrleaders is unique to me, but I won't claim it as such in case I'm not the first. I know that a female Brownrider is not a concept unique to me, and won't pretend it is. As mentioned, this will not be typical Pern. R and R is appreciated. I hope you enjoy this.

For the record, this chapter is only to break my writer's block. It should get better again soon.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

Feasting and Frivolity [Part 1 

Kel perched on a bench along one of the long tables of the Dining Hall, a hand resting protectively on Tiengasth's headknob, and making sure that they were dominantly alone.

The brooding look on her sharply planed features would have kept the faint of heart away, and considering that she had not slept for at least 24 hours, what with her expedition to the Gather on the Weyrwoman's orders prior hatching, her temper wasn't so great either.

But she had Tiengasth. That made up for all of the long nights of nosing around in Holds, all of the times that she'd missed out because she wasn't _really_ a candidate: just the Weyrleaders' aide.

That day she'd been nothing more than a Candidate. And in that moment, she was nothing more than a very tired new Weyrling.

The new dress that had been commissioned by the Weyrwoman for this very moment was distractingly itchy, and Kel couldn't wait to take it off. She had her knives strapped beneath it, where she could reach them through a discreet slit in the seams, and she wasn't laced into the dress anywhere nearly as tightly as she appeared to be, but that didn't make her any happier.

The clutch had hatched. She had Impressed—and she was _exhausted_. She had never thought that Impressing a dragon would have been able to wear her out in a matter of hours.

Tiengasth nudged her leg.

_You wore yourself out,_ he pointed out with great dignity. _I had to do nothing._

She had yet to get used to that voice in her head, and looked down at the ungainly Brown who was eyeing her curiously.

"You had to do nothing," she repeated skeptically, aware that people were looking at her strangely. "You, who wanted to be fed every second hour? I wouldn't call that _nothing_ exactly…"

_That man said that there were buckets of meat in the Kitchens. You only had to go get them_, Tiengasth retorted. _You complain too much_.

"I complain?" Kel said again, genuinely indignant. "Look who's talking."

"I already know how to talk to Dwynth mentally," caroled a familiar sing-song voice. Even more annoyed, she looked up to see Maeriya flouncing towards her, with her unusually blond hair bouncing. "It's REMARKABLY easy, you know, Kel. I'm surprised that you can't do it already."

"Your hair wasn't that blond earlier today, Maeriya," she replied coolly, looking the other Weyrling from head to toe.

The new Greenrider beamed at her, apparently unable to take a hint.

"I know! Isn't it remarkable? I borrowed something from your cosmetics, actually. I don't know why you have so many, but there was some kind of lotion among your things, and I thought that you wouldn't mind if I borrowed some, and…" She paused to take a breath, and the Green, Dwynth, butted her leg. The look that took hold of Maeriya's features transformed her from a plain girl into an undeniably pretty one.

Kel watched the pair jealously, as the two communicated in silence. Of course, she wasn't jealous OF Maeriya…just of her ability to communicate properly with her dragon. And how natural she looked in a dress…and how her hair seemed to fall just right…but other than that, she wasn't jealous at all.

_Why are you jealous of HER?_ demanded Tiengasth, puzzled. _I would NEVER have Chosen you if you were like Her._ She wasn't entirely sure that was a compliment.

After all…how many young women Impressed to Browns? Making sure that Maeriya wasn't looking, Kel pushed a strand of her short black hair behind one ear, and tried to smooth out her rumpled dress. It was hardly the first time that she'd had to wear a dress, but this one had been worn not long ago—hence the wrinkles that she couldn't for the life of her get out.

It had done its duty. She'd fulfilled Weyrwoman Miriah's orders, and procured the papers that she had wanted, but still she found herself forced into a loathsome gown.

"Kel, are you listening to me?" demanded Maeriya. Her head shot up, and she looked quickly at the Greenweyrling.

"No," she replied frankly. "I'm busy, Maeriya. Go bother Iaigna."

"Iaigna already blew up at me," she replied plaintively, like a small child. Her whining voice just irritated Kel further. "And Khaliall isn't speaking to anyone, and Niniane--"

Kel stood up suddenly, surprising her Brown with her abrupt movement. He gave her a reproachful look as he waddled back to allow her room to move.

"Tiengasth is tired," she announced, shooting a 'do as I say or die' glare at him. "I'm taking him back to the Barracks. It's been a long day. Good bye, Maeriya. Dwynth." She nodded at the Green, and started to stride away, when to her horror, the other girl followed her.

"That's okay! I'll go with you. Dwynth is probably exhausted, too," Maeriya grinned, hurrying along at Kel's side. Tiengasth's eyes were beginning to whirl rapidly.

_You're hungry. You need to eat,_ he told her grimly. _I'm not letting you go yet! And there's a pretty Green that I—_

_Aren't you too young to be thinking about things like that?_ She wondered, appalled—the moment before she realized that she'd done it mentally.

Tiengasth smirked, and she spun around to go back into the Dining Hall.

"On second thought, he says that he wants to stay a little bit longer," she announced, desperately searching the crowds for a face that she recognized. None of her newly Impressed friends from Candidacy were in sight. Khaliall was probably hiding, and Niniane was probably surrounded by boys, and Iaigna…well, Kel had no idea where Iaigna would be and wasn't sure that she'd be the best route of escape in any case.

"Excuse us. I'm sure that, if Dwynth is so tired, she'd like to return to the Barracks," she added for good measure, and wove her way into the tables of Feast-goers before Maeriya could protest.

As she was working her way towards the table that she'd vacated earlier, with Tiengasth close behind, she shot a wary look over her shoulder. Maeriya had finally disappeared.

_This way._

Without waiting for a response, the Brown dragonet wound towards a different table, where there was a partially familiar face, that was looking extremely dejected. A diminutive Green hatchling sat by the owner's feet, gazing up at him with adoring eyes.

Why, wondered Kel, did her dragon have to be the ONLY one who seemed to have a contrary streak?

A moment later, as she sat a ways away from the young man, she realized who he was: it was the boy who had run into her on the Hatching sands. She watched him from the corner of her gaze.

"Saristh, I DO love you, but they…" He faltered to a halt when he realized that Kel was there, and stopped, looking at her cautiously. She eyed him curiously.

"Hi. I'm Kel. I didn't catch your name earlier." She gave Tiengasth a look, wondering what it was that he wanted her to DO exactly. "This is Tiengasth."

He dipped his head.

"D'ni," he replied almost emotionlessly. "And Saristh."

She looked at the dark green hatchling, and smiled.

"She's beautiful." For a moment, she remembered wishing that the dragonet had been hers, and then looked at Tiengasth, and the thought faded immediately. For all of his quirks so far, she wouldn't trade him for anything.

_Just as well,_ he grumbled. _I would never forgive you if you tried._ She grinned, and the Greenweyrling gave her an inquiring look. She opened her mouth to say something, but the Weyrwoman at the Head table suddenly paled, and stood up. The Weyrleader's jaw had gone slack, and they were staring at each other in open horror.

"Syth," Miriah breathed as a mournful keen broke the air. The new dragonets joined in with a high-pitched mockery of the terrifying sound of their adult counterparts.

In that moment, Kel and the other Weyrling –strangers though they might be- were in complete accord. They exchanged a look, astonished as their dragons told them what had happened.

_It is Syth of Fort Weyr. Her rider just killed herself,_ Tiengasth informed her quietly, sounding subdued. It was the first time she'd ever heard him sound so upset in their hours of bonding so far.

"I thought that they were here for the Hatching," she said aloud, recognizing the Senior Weyrwoman of Fort Weyr's dragon's name. The brown looked as puzzled as a dragon could.

_They were_, he said after a moment. _As was Dormanth's rider. But now Syth's rider is gone, and so is Syth._ He keened again.

All of the riders, old and new, had fallen silent. The dismay that had taken hold of Kel had dimmed the exuberance of the entire Hatching Feast atmosphere.

Even non-riders knew that something was very, very wrong.

As the fact that Gold Syth's rider was really dead, and her dragon –of course- with her, sunk in, it occurred to Kel that there were now only two Queens left on Pern.

"Shards. We're doomed," she breathed, wide eyed. D'ni nodded his unhappy agreement as the sorrowful echoes of the Dragon's cries resonated through out the Weyr.

A joyous event had turned into one of grief.

Taking a very deep breath, Miriah of Gold Terrieth stood up, and her gaze swept the entire assembled Weyr and various dignitaries. She was trembling.

"People of Yandrei Weyr. Weyrwoman Adaura of Gold Syth is dead. We all knew that she was unhappy but none of us guessed that this…" She faltered to a stop, and took a deep breath. "Jisa of Gold Ipyth is now the Senior Weyrwoman of Fort Weyr. That is all I have to say—please, continue." She sat down again heavily, but no one could enjoy the feasting and frivolity any longer.

Kel looked around at the stunned faces around her, and her own problems seemed very trivial in comparison to those of the rest of Pern. Adaura's death of her own making was a tragedy, and the loss of her Queen even more so. Perhaps it was Kel's suspicious mind at work, but she couldn't help wondering if, perhaps, a little bit of foul play had been involved…She looked at D'ni, sitting beside her in silence, and saw reflected in the Greenrider's eyes the same thought.


End file.
